General Mills Privacy Policy South Africa

Effective Date: November 2015

General Mills is proud to market some of the world’s most-trusted brands.We know that maintaining your trust requires that we protect your privacy – so we are very sensitive to the privacy concerns of those who use our websites, our pages and applications on third-party social networking services, our emails, and our mobile applications (collectively, our “Sites”).

This Privacy Policy explains our online information practices and the choices that you, as a user of this Site, can make about the collection and use of your information.

Information We Collect

We may collect information about you (and the computer or device you use to access our Site) in a variety of ways:

• You may directly provide information to us

• You may choose to allow a social networking service to share information with us

• We may gather other information when you visit our Site or other services, or when you view our online adverts

• We may obtain additional information about you from other sources where permitted by law

More detail on each of these is immediately below.

Information you directly provide

When you participate in our offers or programmes (or otherwise communicate with us), you may directly provide us with information, including (but not limited to) the following:

o Name

o Email address

o Postal address

o Username or password

o Telephone number

o Age or birthdate

o Gender

o Demographic information

o Credit card or other payment information

o Marital status and number of children

o Contact details of family members or others

o Other information about you, your family, or others (such as interests or product preferences

o Other information you affirmatively allow a third-party service (such as Facebook) to provide to us

Information from social networking services

If you choose to access or make use of third-party social networking services (such as Facebook or Twitter), we may receive personal information about you that you have made available to those services, including information about your contacts on those services. For example, some social networking services allow you to push content from our Site to your contacts or to pull information about your contacts so you can connect with them on our Site. Some social networking services will also facilitate your registration or log-in for our Site or enhance or personalise your experience on our Site. Your decision to use a social networking service will always be voluntary. However, you should make sure you are comfortable with the information social networking services may make available to our Site by visiting those services’ privacy policies.

Information we gather when you visit our Sites, or when you view our online adverts

When you visit or use our Sites, or when you view our online adverts, we may use cookies, web beacons, or other technologies to collect information about your computer or device and your online activity. The following are examples of the types of information we may collect in this way:

o Your interaction with our Site (such as the links you click on and the pages and items you view)

o Whether you open or forward our emails or click on elements within these emails

Information we may obtain from other sources

We may obtain information about you from other sources, such as public databases, other brands and groups within General Mills, and other commercially available sources.

Please note that parts or all of the information we collect or obtain may be combined or linked (by us or by third parties providing services to us) for any of the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to help us customize how we communicate with you and to improve our products, services, and marketing efforts.

How We Use This Information

We use the information we collect (in combination with other information we or third-party service providers may have) to communicate with you regarding our products, services, and promotions; to provide you with other information, services, products, or other materials you request; to customise your interactive experience (including by providing you with relevant advertising on our Site and elsewhere); and/or to manage and improve our sites, products, and service offerings.

Some specific ways that we may use this information are as follows:

• To register you to receive emails or other information or materials you request

• To register you for a competition or other promotion

• To register you to receive discounts, premiums, product samples, or other materials

• To create and manage your account as a user or member of our Site (or as someone who may post content to our Site)

• To provide you with services or offers you have requested

• To respond if you contact one of our Customer Care Representatives

• To process your payment for purchases or other services

• To better understand the audience for our sites and services

• To analyse how our products, services, and sites are accessed and used

• To help us develop new products, services, and sites

• To develop and deliver advertising and other communications more tailored to your interests

• To help us improve our advertising

• To provide security and protect against fraud

• To enforce our Terms of Use, Community Rules, or other legal rights

We will not send you any email marketing communication unless you expressly consent to receive such a communication from us. And if you do sign up to receive these emails, you will always have the opportunity to “unsubscribe” from further email marketing messages from that General Mills brand or group.

How We Use Cookies, Web Beacons, And Similar Technologies

We (and third parties that provide content, advertising, or functionality on our Site) may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to facilitate website administration and navigation; to better understand and improve our Site; to determine and improve the advertising shown to you here or elsewhere; and to provide you with a rich online experience. We provide more details about these technologies below.

General descriptions of “cookies” and “web beacons”

“Cookies” are small files that are placed on your computer or device when you visit a website. Cookies may be used to store a unique identification number tied to your computer or device so that you can be recognised as the same user across one or more browsing sessions, and across one or more sites.

Some cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around our Site and use its features, such as accessing secured areas. Other cookies collect information about how visitors use the Site (for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages). When combined with information collected when you register on a website, cookies allow us to welcome you back to the site or otherwise provide enhanced, more personal features.Cookies may also be used on our behalf by third parties managing our advertising on other websites to enable us to learn which advertisements bring visitors to our sites and to otherwise improve or target our online advertising.

Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but can be configured not to do so or to notify the user when a cookie is being sent. If you wish to disable cookies, refer to your browser help menu to learn how to disable cookies. Please note that if you disable cookies, you may be unable to access some customised features on our Site.

“Web beacons”and similar technologies are tiny or transparent images that, for example, allow us and third parties tocount the number of users who have visited a particular web page or to access certain cookies. When you access a page containing a beacon, you establish a communication with a web server, which collects certain information about your computer or device. This information may include your IP address, browser type, operating system type, and identifiers that have been stored in cookies. We may use beacons on our sites to count the number of visitors to our sites and to recognise users by accessing unique identifiers stored in cookies that we have set on their computers or devices. Being able to access these identifiers enables us to provide a personalised experience on our sites. We may also include beacons in advertisements or in email messages to determine how these are acted on.

Cookies used for online behavioural advertising

Third parties who are involved in serving other companies’ advertising on our sites, or who are involved in determining which advertisements to show you on third-party websites, may use cookies to collect information about your online activities, such as the advertisements you have seen or the websites or pages you have visited, in order to draw inferences about what advertising might be relevant to you.

These third parties may use the information gathered through these cookies to show you advertising they believe to be most relevant to you when you visit other websites not belonging to us. This practice is called “online behavioural advertising.”

For additional information on the types of cookies we use, please click here.

Other uses of local storage and unique identifiers

We (and the third parties who provide content, advertising, or functionality on our sites) may also use other kinds of local storage technologies that operate similarly to cookies, such as local shared objects (also known as “Flash cookies”) and HTML5 local storage. These technologies are similar to cookies in that they make use of storage on your device for the purpose of identifying the device across different services and sessions. Please note, however, that these technologies may make use of different parts of your device than cookies do, and so you might not be able to control them using standard browser tools and settings. For information about disabling or deleting information contained in Flash cookies, please click here.

In addition, depending on the browser or device you use, we (and the third parties who provide content, advertising or functionality on our sites) may receive a identifier for your browser device that can be used for purposes similar to those for which we and others use cookies and beacons. The identifiers are not created by the services you access, but rather by the companies that make the software that runs your device or browser. For example, if you access our Site using Apple’s iOS 7 on your iPhone, we may receive a temporary device identifier called the “Identifier for Advertisers” (or “IDFA”). In your iPhone’s privacy settings, you can “reset” this identifier, which means that a different identifier will be sent the next time you visit our Site.

How We May Share Information With Others

We may share the information we collect with the following types of entities, including those which may be located outside your country of residence:

• Affiliates. We may share information within General Mills among our various businesses, and within our family of affiliated companies.

• Service Providers. We may share information – including information that personally identifies you – with companies that provide services on our behalf. These parties may use the information solely in conjunction with the specific services they provide for us. Some service providers may be involved in administering or supplementing our databases and will need to have access to your information in order to do so. For example, we may retain a third party to verify the accuracy of information within our databases or to gather additional information about individuals from commercially available sources. As another example, we may provide information to third parties who help us target specific advertising communications to you when you visit other sites.

• Other Parties When Required by Law or as Necessary to Protect Our Users and Services. We also may disclose information – including information that personally identifies you – to third parties in order to:

o protect our legal rights, as well as the rights of the users of our Site or others

o protect the safety and security of the Site, its users, or others

o prevent fraud

o comply with the law or respond to legal process or a request for co-operation by a government entity, whether or not legally required.

• Other Parties in Connection with a Corporate Transaction. We reserve the right to transfer any information we have about you in the event that we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets to a third party, or in the unlikely event of a bankruptcy. Outside this context, we will not sell any lists of consumer contact information to unaffiliated companies for their marketing purposes.

• Otherwise with Your Consent. In addition to the sharing described or permitted by this Privacy Policy, we may of course share information about you with third parties whenever you affirmatively consent to such sharing.

Third Parties Who Provide Content, Advertising, Or Functionality On Our Site

Some of the content, advertising, and functionality on our Site may be provided by third parties who are not affiliated with us. For example:

• Certain third parties may serve advertising or keep track of which advertisements users see, how often they see those advertisements, and what users do in response to them. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, or similar technologies to provide these services.

• We may enable you to share certain materials on the Site with others through social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter.

These third parties may collect or receive certain information about your use of the Site, including through the use of cookies, beacons, and similar technologies,and this information may be collected over time and combined with information collected across different websites and online services.

One of the third parties that provides services on our Site is Google Inc. Like many websites, we use Google Analytics, a service that provides information about how many users visit our Site, when they visit, and how they navigate the Site once they are here. Google offers a browser add-on that enables users to opt out of having data about their visits reported to websites by Google Analytics. More information about the add-on is here.

International Transfer Of Data

We may collect, transfer, store, and process your information outside your country of residence, consistent with this Privacy Policy. Please note that the data protection and other laws of countries to which your information may be transferred might not be as comprehensive as those in your country.

Security For Credit Card Data And Transaction Information

We are committed to keeping your online transactions safe and secure. For example, in order to reasonably assure the privacy and security of your credit card data when making an order, we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. SSL uses encryption technology to create a secure connection between your computer and ours. We have also put procedures in place to safeguard other information we collect from you. Please note, however, that we cannot absolutely guarantee the security of any information you provide online; you provide it at your own risk.

Links To Other Sites

Our Site may contain links to the sites of our affiliates, and to sites that are owned and operated by third parties. These other sites may have their own privacy policies and are not be governed by this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of sites owned and operated by third parties. Other sites may collect and treat information collected differently, so we encourage you to carefully read and review the privacy policy for each site you visit.

User-Generated Content And Public Profile Features

Our Site may, from time to time, contain interactive areas where Site users might submit comments or other content (including information about the user that might be displayed in the user’s public profile within an online community) that may be visible to others. Users should be aware that when they voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information (e.g., name, email address, etc.) in content submitted for posting or publication, the information can be read and used by others. This may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or parties. We make no representations and undertake no obligations as to the security or use of information you voluntarily include when submitting content.

Send-To-A-Friend Tools

This Site may, from time to time, include a send-to-a-friend application that makes it easy for you to forward information or materials from our Site to friends or family by email. In order to address your email message, the application may ask you to input the recipient’s email address and/or similar information (including your email address). This information is used by the application to address your message so that it can be properly sent. We may temporarily maintain a log of this information for troubleshooting and fraud-prevention purposes. In the event that we are offering you some form of referral award for encouraging an action on the part of the recipient (for example, if you are to earn a reward if the recipient chooses to register for one of our offerings after receiving the email from you), we may also retain the information as necessary to establish that the referral award was earned.

Children's Privacy

This Site is not directed to children and we will not request any information from children under 13 at this Site. General Mills does have other sites that are geared in whole or in part to a child audience. Our commitment to the privacy of children is described more fully in the privacy policies of those sites. General Mills and its affiliated companies take special care to protect the privacy of children under the age of 13. We also recommend that parents monitor their children’s Internet activities and learn and employ software or other tools that can help their children enjoy the fun and entertainment of an online experience without compromising their personal safety or allowing them to use the Internet in a manner inconsistent with their parents’ preferences.

Accessing Your Information

Under the laws of some jurisdictions, you may have the right to request details about the information we collect and to correct inaccuracies in that information. If you would like to make a request to access your information, or to delete your information, please contact our customer service department at corporate.response@generalmills.com. You may also object to direct marketing by sending a request to corporate.response@generalmills.com.

Changes To Our Privacy Policy

We may change or replace this Privacy Policy at our sole discretion at any time. Please check back from time to time to ensure that you are aware of any updates or changes in this Privacy Policy. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Policy applies to all information collected by or through any Site that displays an authorised link to this Privacy Policy.

YourConsent To The Terms Of This Privacy Policy

By using this Site, you signify your assent to all the terms of this Privacy Policy and this Site’s Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any term of this Privacy Policy or our Terms of Use, please do not use this Site or submit any information.

How To Contact Us

This site is operated by General Mills SA, 15E Riley Road, Riley Road Office Park, Bedfordview, 2007, P.O. Box 76793, Wendywood, 2144 South Africa. If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about our collection or use of information, please Contact Us.You may also reach us by telephone at 0800 116 766

Cookie Notice

Types Of Cookies We Use

We use different types of cookies to run the Site, including some or all of the types identified below.

Preference Cookies

Preferences cookies allow the Site to remember information, such your preferred language, that can be used to customize your experience on the Site. These cookies also can be used to provide you with information specific to your region, and may assist you in customizing the Site’s appearance. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site may become less functional but it should not be prevented from working.

Security Cookies

Security cookies are used to authenticate users, prevent fraudulent use of login credentials, and to protect user data from unauthorised access. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site will not function properly.

Process Cookies

Process cookies help the Site deliver the services that you expect, such as by enabling you to access secure areas of the Site. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site will not function properly.

Advertising Cookies

Advertising cookies are used by parties that are involved in serving other companies’ advertising on our sites, or that are involved in determining which of our advertisements (or other parties’ advertisements) to show you on third-party websites. These cookies collect information about your online activities, such as the advertisements you have seen or the websites or pages you have visited, in order to draw inferences about what advertising might be relevant to you. This information is then used to show you advertising that may be most relevant to you, including when you visit other websites not belonging to us. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site may become less functional, but it should not be prevented from working.

Session State Cookies

These cookies allow the Site to collect information about how you interact with the Site, including which pages you visit most often and if certain pages send you error messages.These cookies help us improve our services. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site may become less functional, but it should not be prevented from working.

Analytics Cookies

Analytics cookies collect information about Site usage. We use these cookies to improve our sites by, for example, learning about the pages people visit most frequently. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, the Site should not be prevented from working.